Prague’s Riverbank is Livening Up Downstream

22 Jun 2017

Sarah K.

By far one of the most unique microbreweries in Prague, Loď Pivovar does all of its brewing aboard its own vessel that also serves as a pub and charming restaurant. Their flagship 5 beers are always on tap, and 1 tap serves a seasonal brew when available.

Truly a unique setting and one of the most impressive views of Prague with good beer, it’s a fun experience to drink amongst the lagering tanks. There are 3 floors to Loď Pivovar. The top is a terrace, only open in summer, that has a spectacular view of Prague. The second floor is their restaurant, pleasantly decorated, and the home of their mash and lauter tuns, complete with a kids corner to the relief of parents. Boats lazily drift by and trams pass above on Štefánikův Bridge as you drink and dine. On the bottom floor, you’ll find their pub, decorated more like the dwelling space of a ship. Tables are scattered between the lagering tanks, and since you’re just at water level, you can still see boats steering by. Never has a small space been used so well.

The menu serves a wide variety of Czech classics, and even a few lighter dishes, all of which are well prepared. Prices are higher than your average pub, but what can be expected for a good meal in Prague’s center. They even have their own smokehouse and a unique speciality, smoked fish meatballs. Sadly we didn’t have the chance to try them on our visit, but we plan to return.

We sampled all the beers they had on tap at the time of our visit, which were the 5 beers normally brewed beers. We found that in general, all their beers lacked that good clean spicy bite of Czech hops. Their 10° lager ‘Legie’, supposedly their most bitter, was pleasantly drinkable, but still quite mildly bitter on the scale of Czech lagers, even for a 10°. Republika, at 12°, is even less bitter than their 10°, and in our opinion the most forgettable of their beers. ‘Remorker’, their lager that’s oddly described as their most ‘ale’ like does showcase some unusual hops, but again doesn’t have that crispness in the finish that makes refusing another lager impossible. We found their dark beer, Monarchie, to be very smooth, and the same goes for their wheat beer.

Despite the unremarkability of beers, Loď Pivovar is more than worth your visit, if not only for the view but the experience. We have to remember here how spoiled we are in the Czech Republic with excellent lagers; even say more run of the mill lagers like these are still pretty darn good when compared to the average lager just next door.

Take trams 6, 8, 10 to Dlouhá Třída or simply walk from the B metro station Náměstí Republiky and Loď Pivovar is on the river bank, beside Štefánikův Bridge on Dvořákovo Nábřeží.